CAPTAIN JIMS “STRIPERFUN” LAKE CUMBERLAND FISHING REPORT

DATE OF REPORT: April 19th, 2017

• Latest water temperature: 61.4 ° F surface (Main Lake): April 18th, 2017
• Latest water temperature: 62.6 ° F surface (Indian Creek): April 18th, 2017
• Latest water temperature: 48.3 ° F surface (Cumberland River): April 17th, 2017
Currently, the lake level is right at 716.21 feet above sea level. The lake is now about 9 feet below the tree line which is 725.00′ above sea level. The Cumberland River below the dam is at 545.80′ above sea level. Peak discharge of water through the power generation turbines is at 1580 cubic feet per second per hour.

Greetings to my readers! I hope that the world finds you and your family doing well!

KAPOW ! BAM! KAPOW! BIG FISH AND LOTS OF THEM!!!!!

THE CUMBERLAND LAKE FISHING REMAINS STRONG!

The lake fishing continues to be extremely strong, with limits caught most days (there is always a slow day in there somewhere – we hate those!!). Enjoy some of the recent photos of nice Stripers and HUGE Smallmouth Bass we have been catching on the lake.

We hope to see you soon on Lake Cumberland! Click below to book your trip!

As a United States Air Force Veteran, U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine officer, USCG Aux Search and Rescue Coxswain and as a Firefighter, Captain Jim Durham is the owner/founder of StriperFun Guide Service. StriperFun provides charters in KY on Lake Cumberland, on Tims Ford Lake in TN and Captain Jim’s Cumberland River Adventures in TN. Jim’s businesses also include Captain Jim Lures, Superbaittanks.com and much more……

StriperFun’s fishing charter businesses are one of the largest and best known charter fishing guide services in the Cumberland Plateau region. As a former B.A.S.S. fisherman (presented a “Lifetime membership” award many years ago), Captain Jim has been fishing and/or guiding on Lake Cumberland and on the Cumberland River in TN for most of his adult life, fishing the Upper Cumberland Plateau Region 52 years since he was six years old. Captain Jim is very well known and respected by marina owners, lake area business owners and regional law enforcement.

Captain Jim personally holds multiple licenses and memberships:

Licensed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife as a fishing guide, with privileges to take customers fishing (Kentucky License # 007).

Licensed as well by the State of Tennessee Department of Fish and Wildlife as a fishing guide.

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Staff Officer, holding a “Coxswain” (Patrol Captain’s Search and Rescue) rating with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Captain Jim and his guides run hundreds of fishing charters a year. All StriperFun Captains are licensed, insured and are well trained in CPR & First Aid. StriperFun has worked to be one of the best known guide services in the Cumberland Plateau region and will work hard to deliver “big trophy fish”. You can count on the fact that your group will be treated with the utmost professional care and safety.

Different than many basic guide services, StriperFun also caters to corporate groups as well as to families (and couples). Our guide boats are covered and heated during the winter months to get clients out of inclement weather. Our trips include all equipment & tackle as well as bait. Your trip also includes the cleaning and bagging of your catch (Lake trips) as well as photos for you to remember your trip.

Jim personally charters out of a 2015 new 24 foot center console Alweld Escort Bay boat. Powered by a 2015 Mercury 150 four (4) stroke outboard (I love my Mercury!). She is quiet to sneak up on big fish and fast to cover a lot of water! She has 24 mile radar, full Humminbird electronics, a Minn Kota trolling motor, a 50 Gallon Super Bait Tank, a huge 7 foot long 6 foot wide Atlantic Towers T-Top (covering you from rain) and is heated and can be quickly enclosed for really cold or wet days. This rig is the ultimate guide boat! She has “tons” of for moving around and fighting big fish and also has comfortable seating for the trip.

All StriperFun guide boats have the most modern electronics, fishing gear and Coast Guard safety equipment and are covered in inclement weather for customer comfort!

StriperFun is a strong supporter of our nation’s military men and women as well as our police and firefighters, offering a 10 % discount as a “thank you” for their service!

On Lake Cumberland

We are moving around a lot to find the fish. When we do find a big school of bait, we can catch fish using multiple methods:

We are pulling planer boards with live bait fished weightless or shallow Carolina rigged

Down lines with live bait are also getting “viciously” ripped down as we move through these big aggressive schools of Stripers! We are also catching nice smallmouth, large mouth and the occasional Walleye that are congregating with the Striper schools to tear into the huge schools of bait fish!

What to expect on the water

The fish are transitioning, now holding both in the backs of the creek in 10 feet of water near mud flats and also on the main lake near the surface. There is a lot of wood debris and flotsam in the lake, so be careful not to lose a prop.

EARLY SPRING JIG TECHNIQUE

One of my favorite techniques (I use when pulling boards in the early spring) is to throw a ½ ounce white on white hair jig or all chartreuse or chartreuse and white “Captain Jim Special Dominator” hair jig rigged with a 2 inch plastic trailer.

The trick to catching these “ultra shallow” fish is to actually cast the jig “up on the shore”. The reason being, that the “splash” of the large jig in the shallow water will many times “spook” a large Striper.

If you fish shallow water in the winter or early spring often enough you will experience the sick feeling of seeing your lure hit the water and see an immediate “swirl” of a large “startled” fish fleeing for deep water!

So, to combat this problem, we cast our jigs up on the shore. Then, as we take up the slack of the line to get it tight, we then “hop” the jig (with a quick raising of the rod and a slight jerk on the lure) quietly into the water. The jig will have a tendency to snag on rocks and submerged wood. As soon as you hop your jig into the water you need to raise your rod tip high and reel quickly. This will virtually eliminate most snagging of the jigs on the bottom.

This type of fishing can be really exciting!

As you hop your lure into the water and begin to quickly retrieve your jig from the edge of the shore, it will begin to smack into rocks, wood etc. This can cause a “reaction” bite (like a large mouth smacking a crank bait after it careens off of a stump).

It works on Stripers too!

You will many times experience the same “swirl” of a large Striper’s tail in the shallow water. The difference is that now the fish isn’t running away, it is flying to eat your lure! You need to be ready as soon as you hop the lure in and begin the retrieve. We catch many Stripers that are hanging around eating bait fish right on the edge of the shore. A soon as you hop the lure in they many times will slam it! This is especially true on windy days when the wind is blowing in towards the bank you are fishing. The wind blows in the bait fish that are “tired” from fight the wind. They make easy prey for the Stripers, so always pay attention to the wind direction when you chose a bank to fish.

This trick will deliver for you!

CAPTAIN JIM ON THE RADIO!

I did a fishing radio talk show recently on WHAS 840 out of Louisville on the “Jim Strader” Great Outdoors show. It is broadcast to 17 States. I had the pleasure of being on the air with Jim Strader for almost 2 hours, covering fishing on Lake Cumberland and the Cumberland River.

I hope you enjoy it! I am generally on Sunday nights at 6:30 pm eastern.

CAPTAIN JIM LOVES HIS MERCURY 4 STROKE AND SO WILL YOU!

I love my Mercury PRO XS 150 four stroke! It has unbeatable gas mileage, trolls slow for me when I need it to and will get me to the fish when I am in a hurry! It is dependable, virtually no maintenance and starts every time!

For people who demand speed and acceleration from their outboards, the Mercury 4 stroke PRO XS is the only choice!

We are casting Captain Jim lures to the occasional (this time of year) surfacing fish:

STRIPERFUN’S FULL

LINE UP OF LURES

Captain Jim Lures, a Division of Striperfun.com, sells the top of the line hair jigs (captain Jim Specials) and blade baits (Little Friends), as well as the “Striper Mugger”, the “Tennessee Thumper” and the “Walleye Dazzler”! These lures have been heavily field tested, are super easy to cast (or troll) and besides being Striper magnets, they also absolutely wear out the Large Mouth, Spots, Walleye and Small Mouth!

Click the link below to go to the StriperFun website and watch the new lures as their photos will appear (a new photo “pops in” every few seconds) in the middle of the top of the screen on the first page. Click any photo of any lure that to go in and read more about the newly designed lures and to see enhanced photos!

You can also watch them demonstrated on YouTube by clicking the links below:

As a reminder to all my Lake Cumberland fishing friends and clients, my Captain Jim Special line of fishing lures are for sale at Grider Hill Marina. We just delivered a huge order of my “Dominator” Umbrella rigs, “Little Friend” blade baits, my hand tied (real deer hair) Striper jigs as well as my TN and KY “Thumper” and “Striper Mugger” multi lure casting and trolling rigs!

Come visit Grider Hill Marina and get them while they are hot!SUPER BAIT TANKS

To really hit the “monster” Stripers, you need to use the freshest live shad. Not only can catching fresh shad be tough, keeping them alive used to be virtually impossible! Not any longer!

The SUPER BAIT TANK has a triple filtration system, a built in oxygen infuser, a built in light for night use and is insulated. This system has been tested to hold gizzard shad & blue black herring for up to one week.

I use only the SUPER BAIT TANK. Every guide I know uses it and so should you! StriperFun is the exclusive NATIONAL “on line” dealer of the SUPER BAIT TANK.

When it’s time to go boating and fishing, you want to make sure your boat is ready to hit the water with all the equipment you need to have a great time!

StriperFun and its related companies can help!

With a full line up of the most modern marine electronics (fish finders, GPS, radar and more..) at “way below” national chain store prices, you need to let us get you the most modern marine electronics you have really been wanting! StriperFun also sells Captain Jim fishing lures, Striper Fish like a Pro “how to” DVDs, Super Bait Tanks, Hydro Glow Fish lights, Fitech bait nets and more. Captain Jim and StriperFun have everything you needto have a safe and fun year!

StriperFun and Captain Jim is a “one stop shop” for your boating and fishing upgrade needs or to outfit your new boat! Give me a call at 931-403-2501 or email me at captainjim@striperfun.comHUMMINBIRD COMBO GPS AND FISH FINDER UNITS

All StriperFun Captains use Humminbird Side and Down Imaging units. Humminbird Fish Finder / GPS units are simply the best on the market! When you have to depend on your marine electronics to navigate safely at night and in the fog, as well as help you find fish, it is one of your most valuable tools!

My Humminbird HD unit is simply great! When trolling artificial lures or live bait, I just don’t troll “hoping” to run in to a school of fish. I am scanning up to 240 feet per each side of the boat, looking for schools of bait and fish. When I see them (example: 3 o’clock to the starboard or 9 o’clock to port!), I can then “turn” my boat towards the schools of bait and fish to “get in to the strike zone”.

Once arriving on the schools of bait and fish, I can switch over to the “Down Imaging”, “Quadrabeam Plus” or “Switch Fire” sonar systems to let me see with great clarity (each technology providing a different yet important view!) exactly where the fish are and how they are orientating.

Why troll “blind” when you can scan surrounding water to see where the “big ones” are!!

It makes all the difference in the world, turning a slow fishing day into a great catching day!

My Humminbird Fish Finder is a guide’s best friend. As a Field Staff member of Johnson Outdoors, I strongly recommend this product to any open water fishermen. To be successful, you need to learn to use your marine electronics. If you are looking for new marine electronics, feel free to call me and I can make some solid suggestions on HUMMINBIRD COMBO GPS AND FISH FINDER UNITS.

MINN KOTA TROLLING MOTORS FROM JOHNSON OUTDOORS

I only use the Minn Kota “Rip Tide” trolling motors from Johnson Marine and so should you! As a professional fishing charter Captain, my livelihood depends on my trolling motor working every time – every day! For 15 years I have used Minn Kota trolling motors and my “Rip Tide” trolling motor never lets me down!

With “cool” features like the hands free “Auto Pilot and “I” Pilot functions, I can set my motor to go a specific direction and turn my back to deploy lines and have full confidence it will stay on course no matter the weather conditions!

For using a “drop shot” on the fish, once I locate a nice an active school I simply push a button on “I” Pilot functions control and it “electronically anchors me” directly over the fish. If the winds blows me off the spot, the “I” Pilot brings me right back and again “electronically anchors” me back over the fish.

Man, is that cool or what? I would never consider using anything else but a Minn Kota trolling motor!

GIVE THE BEST GIFT OF ALL, A FISHING TRIP WITH CAPTAIN JIM AND STRIPERFUN GUIDE SERVICE!

The gift of a weekend package deal (or even a one day fishing trip) with StriperFun Guide Service makes a great Christmas or birthday present for Dad, a brother or for the family and kids, or can make a great bonus for an employee or a promotion for a customer! We fish year round and our trips are very popular and our booking dates fill up fast!

Fishing is family friendly and wholesome. So if you are interested in giving the perfect gift to that special someone, order a fishing gift certificate today!

For years, as I have done radio and TV shows as well as outdoors and boat show seminars on Striper fishing, I have been approached by the “nicest” people who have a true desire to learn more about the great sport of Striper fishing. There are always lots of questions asked regarding the numerous different techniques involved in our great sport.

Unfortunately, many times, it is hard to explain things and answer questions when you are not out on the water (to be able to physically demonstrate what you are talking about!). Initially, this is why I created my (hot selling!) “Striper Fish like a Pro” instructional 3 DVD “Trilogy”. This gave new (and even experienced!) fishermen a lot of good solid data on how we “Pros” do what we do, etc.

But from the constant feedback I get I have learned that more information and training is wanted! Because of this continual strong request and demand for more information and Striper fishing training, I now offer “hands on and personalized” Striper fishing technique training with “on the water” instructional trips! These will be trips on my new Alweld that will allow customers to “narrow down and focus in on” a large and diverse group of specific areas of Striper fishing they want to learn more about. It will also allow me to provide very precise and detailed training in a direct on the water “one on one” teaching environment!
The Striper fishing technique training subjects will include (but not be limited to):

HOW TO SET YOUR BOAT UP CORRECTLY FOR BIG GAME FISHING TO BE SUCCESSFUL;

HOW TO READ MARINE ELECTRONICS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE GREAT NEW LINE OF HUMMINBIRD FISH FINDER / GPS UNITS;

LIVE BAIT TECHNIQUES (EVERY POSSIBLE SCENARIO HOW TO FISH LIVE BAIT, AS WELL AS TRICKS FOR KEEPING YOUR BAIT FRISKY!);

CASTING AND RETRIEVING TECHNIQUES AND WHAT LURES TO USE IN VARIOUS SITUATIONS.

And dozens of more subjects!!!

Training trips are $75.00 an hour with a 4 hour minimum and are held afternoons beginning at noon. I suggest you book at least 30 days in advance as they are already getting popular and I am booking up.

By the way, you might even catch a trophy Striper while we are training!

Please call me at 931-403-2501 if you would like more information. I hope to see you soon!

To get in on the great fishing action, you can book a Striper fishing adventure with StriperFun! Click the following link: www.striperfun.com/pages/bookacharter.phpAVAILABILITY FOR TRIPS WITH STRIPERFUN GUIDES

Many of our customers do not initially realize that the Striper fishing is 365 days year round. However, all of our boats are covered and we virtually fish almost every day.

We live for this type of fishing and you can too! Come see us!

Do not be afraid however to call last minute if you want a trip as we have numerous guides and can accommodate your schedule!

If you have any other ideas, techniques or subjects you want me to write about, drop me a line!

I am many times asked “What are the advantages to hiring a guide”? In essence, you hire a guide to utilize the guide’s many years of experience and lake knowledge, to learn new tactics and techniques to increase your chance of “landing the big one”. Guides use top of the line equipment and the freshest live bait. Also, if you cannot afford your own boat, it is a very cost effective way for you or your group to fish (cost per fisherman). Even professional fishermen hire guides to learn a lake and new techniques!

We are moving quickly through Spring. Dawn rolls around a little earlier each morning and “Twilight” now rolls around just a little later each night as the winter solstice has come and gone.

It is great to be alive and be a “free” American! I look forward to seeing all of you this year on the water.

Count your blessings each day and live “in the moment”, not in the future and always remember to stop and shake the hand of a person in uniform or wearing garb that shows they are a veteran! Their service is why you speak English, can vote and can enjoy the freedoms you do!

Remember also to always obey all Kentucky and TN fishing regulations while on Lake Cumberland or any Kentucky (or Tennessee) waterway. Following the rules is a must! It is important that we all be good stewards of our fishing resources. If you have any questions about fishing regulations or to report poachers, call Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at 800-858-1549.
Until next time, blue skies and tight lines!